What is executive coaching?

• Executive coaching is 1:1 coaching that takes place in a business, primarily centered around workplace issues. You come to the coaching session with things (agenda items) you would like to work on, and your coach works with you to understand the issue, the goals, and work through the plan to improvement. While the topics often center around workplace issues (time management, managing up, etc) the coaching will focus on the whole you, so you can experience and see growth in all areas of your life. Ultimately, there is no way to completely separate the "work you" and the "you you". 

How is executive coaching different than life coaching?

• Executive coaches are hired by corporations to support the people in their organization. Life coaches are hired by individuals outside of their workplace to support them in their whole life. That being said, often executive coaches also coach the whole individual, as it is completely impossible to separate your being into work and personal categories. 

Can we hire you to coach multiple people in one organization, or team? If so, how do you manage that effectively?

• Yes, one of the biggest principles of coaching is that each session, and each client, is held to strict confidentiality by the coach. Of all of the ICF guidelines around ethics, confidentiality is held by me as a foundation. Each session, and each problem, is treated as a unique case with no knowledge of external opinions, stories, etc. I have coached entire executive teams, and managers/managees throughout my career as a coach. 

Can you coach people together, as a duo, or group?

• Yes, I have coached pairs (co-founders), executive teams and small groups. Please reach out if you are interested in group coaching, as it is important to understand the goals and success metrics before engaging.  

What are your qualifications to be a coach? 

• I am a certified coach, CPCC, through Coaches Training Institute. I attended a 16 month training program through Coaches Training Institute. If you are interested in learning more about this training to become a CoActive coach, please visit the CTI website.  

What is the difference between coaching and consulting? 

• Consulting is where an organization hires me to help problem solve or improve something specific (conflict management, etc), and is hiring you for a certain enterprise or set of skills. Coaching is when I am not in charge of solving the problem, and instead the problem is solved co-actively between us. 

What is the difference between coaching and therapy? 

• This is a very tricky question. Truthfully, there are a lot of overlaps between the two disciplines, and sometimes coaching will seem like therapy and sometimes therapy will seem like coaching. Generally, therapists are trained in behavior issues and modifications, and trained to understand how your past is shaping your future (in addition to a whole lot of other things). Coaches are trained to assess the current situation, and focus more on helping the client see what is in front of them, and shape a different future. People are often leery of hiring coaches at workplaces because it will seem like they are simply hiring onsite therapists. I would encourage you, if you are concerned about this, to set up a trial session to talk it through more and get a sense for what coaching is about. 

What is a typical coaching session like? 

• My typical coaching sessions last one hour. They start with me asking the simple question, "what would you like coaching on today?" Then we spend time unpacking, unraveling, and understanding the issue. Then we vision and exploring what you want out of the coaching session. Maybe it's just to talk things through, maybe you want to leave with a solution. Maybe you need the time to really understand what is at heart. Then, we move forward depending on what is needed at that time. 
• To be more specific, if a client starts a session with "I want to be better at managing my time," we would explore what that really means for you, where you are getting hung up, what does success look like, etc. And then, if it's helpful, we might brainstorm together ways in which it makes sense for YOU to adjust your time management. No one is living your life but you so you ultimately know what is best. My goal is not to tell you what works for all of the other accomplished individuals who manage their time well. My goal is to understand what that looks like for you, and what solving that problem looks like for you (how do you feel about time, what is your vision for success, when do you have the most energy, if you manage your time better what does that get you, what is realistic for you from a change standpoint, etc). If we solve that together, you will own the process much more than if I show up with Top Ten Best Practices for Managing Time. At the end, you leave with a homework assignment of something you can try in adjusting a more fulfilled time managed day. 

What are your typical coaching engagements?

• My typical coaching engagements are twice a month for an hour (two hours per month) for 6 months. But I have a lot of flexibility depending on the situation, so please reach out if you are interested.

What makes an ideal coaching client?

• An ideal coaching client is first and foremost OPEN. Open to possibilities, open to change, open to improvement. Secondly, someone who comes to a session ready to explore something, an agenda item. If you come without something to work through, the session will be much less productive than if you have something that you'd like to work through. 

What differentiates you (Courtney) from all of the other coaches I could hire? 

• This is a tough one because I don't really know exactly, given that I'm not being coached by a lot of other coaches (though I do have a coach). I would say some things that distinguish me are an ability to bond and build trust quickly. Also I am CTI trained and believe in co-active coaching, solving problems together. I am not afraid to reflect potentially hard things for you to own (where you're stuck, unhealthy patterns, areas of development). I have a good sense of humor and love to laugh (when appropriate) and enjoy building a strong rapport with clients. I have been working with some of the same clients for over 5 years, so I have proven the ability to continue to add value to peoples lives in an ongoing way. Ultimately, the best way to find out who I am as a coach is to schedule a trial session or sign up! 

What are your rates?

• My rates vary based on several factors; in person vs. phone/video, size of company, level of employee, and group discounts (number of people at the same company). Please reach out and we'll discuss. 

Are you currently accepting clients? 

• Yes! 

Are your sessions in person, over the phone, or video conference?

• I do all three with clients depending on the situation. We work together to find out what's best for you. If it's in person, it needs to be in San Francisco or the East Bay.